Rose Lithium-Tantalum Mining Project

Critical Elements Lithium Corporation is proposing the construction, operation and decommissioning of an open-pit lithium and tantalum mine 38 kilometres north of the village of the Cree Nation of Nemaska, in Quebec, on the traditional lands of the Cree Nation of Eastmain. The project would consist of an open pit, industrial complex, ore storage pad, waste rock and tailings storage areas, an industrial ore processing facility, a spodumene and tantalum mill, a water treatment plant and mine water management facilities. The project site would be accessible via the Nemiscau Eastmain-1 road and the ore would be transported south by the proponent via the northern roads and the Billy Diamond Highway. A fly-in-fly-out work system would be favoured and workers would be housed in the former Eastmain work camp. The mine would produce approximately 4,500 tonnes of ore per day for 17 years.

Under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012), the project is subject to an environmental assessment by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (the Agency) as it involves a the designated activity described in paragraph 16(a) of the Schedule to the Regulations Designating Physical Activities.

Quick Facts

• In 2019, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (formerly the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency) and the Cree Nation Government signed an Agreement under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 regarding the environmental assessment of the Rose lithium-tantalum and James Bay lithium mining projects. As part of this agreement, they delegated any required activities under CEAA 2012 to the Joint Assessment Committee which comprises representatives from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Cree Nation Government.
• This is the first co-drafted environmental assessment between the federal and Cree Nation governments. It is an excellent example of how the Government of Canada is delivering on its commitment to renewing relationships with Indigenous communities through recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership

The Environmental and Social Impact Review Committee (COMEX) is an independent body that reports to the Minister of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change (MELCC). Its mission is to contribute to the protection of human health and the environment and the economic and social well-being of the peoples inhabiting the territory governed by the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) that lies south of the 55th parallel.

COMEX announces that it would hold three online public hearing sessions for the Rose Lithium-Tantalum mining project on February 15, 16 and 18, 2021 with Zoom. The hearings were also broadcast through Livestream

For more information on the project: Rose lithium-tantalum mining project